Can't Blame Rex

Rex Ryan has the most famous finger in sports until Peyton Manning or Drew Brees win the Superbowl. I for one didn't have a problem with it like many of our New York columnist did.

What happened with Ryan is something that happens every day at a sporting event. Of course, he's a public figure and everybody is going to say that he can't do that. I ask those, what would you do in that situation?

If you were an exuberant coach like Rex Ryan and you were in the middle of a sea of Dolphins fans chanting things that were probably worse than the middle finger he stuck up at them, what would you do?

Everybody I've listened to said they would ignore it. Well, most of them are lying. What Ryan did was natural. The Jets had to fine him because the organization was embarrassed. I don't agree. This is the coach that everybody was ga-ga over during the playoffs. Everyday there was another column about people on their hands and knees praying to the feet of the new guy in town.

People live their lives making sure they don't offend anybody. They live by the status-quo. Please, lets be real for once. Because Rex Ryan sure will.

Damon's Gone But Yankees will still Contend

It's official, Damon's career as a Yankee is over and now we can finally move on. But if you listened to GM Brian Cashman the whole off-season, and believed him, then you would've already known that Damon wasn't going to be a Yankee because Scott Boras has lost his swagger.

Unless Damon wanted to come to the Yankees for one season that would've been fine. Sometimes fans don't think about the future, especially Yankees fans who think they need an all-star at every position.

Damon was great for the Yankees. He changed the World Series with his unbelievable at-bat against Brad Lidge. His two stolen bases was the reason A-Rod got such a great pitch to hit to drive Damon home from third.

What Damon did in the playoffs will be missed. Hey, if I were Manger I would feel more comfortable in October with Damon in the batters box, rather than Curtis Granderson or Nick Johnson. Simply put, Damon battles to the end. And although baseball players aren't considered tough, Damon is just that.

If we look past this season which I think Cashman and the Yankees are doing by setting a $200 million budget. You'll know that Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford and Joe Mauer are free agents.

I don't see Mauer leaving Minnesota. Actually, I hope he doesn't leave Minnesota because it's better for baseball that way. That is, as long as the Red Sox don't try to get him. Then the Yankees have to.

As for Crawford and Lee. The Yankees would improve the outfield by getting Crawford in 2011, and with Pettite most likely retiring after next season, Lee would be an expensive replacement.

Any dime the Yankees save this season will be part of putting together their 2011 roster.

But don't worry Yankees fans. The Yanks are still the favorites this season to win it all, even without Damon and Matsui. They're rotation has improved with the acquisition of Javier Vazquez. Just that makes them the favorites. Even though I'm looking ahead to 2011 to help understand the loss of Johnny Damon, Yankees fans need not worry. They'll be back in the World Series without their two World Series heroes.

Granderson Trade Means No Halladay

The trade for Curtis Granderson of the Tigers improves the Yankees in center and it may signal the end of the debate of trading for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.

With the Yankees trading away two prospects in order to get Granderson it seems logical that they wouldn't want to get rid of anymore young talent to get a more veteran player.

Many Yankees fans may prefer the Yankees to trade away these players so they can dominate in every aspect of the game, but this is a world series champion and the Yankees really don't need Halladay.

General Manager Brian Cashman knows better than to trade away any other prospects. The major chips that the Yankees have left are Phil Hughes, Joba Chamerlain and Jesus Montero and it seems unlikely that Cashman will depart with any of the three. The Yankees need Chamberlain or Hughes to solidify the rotation, and with Posada getting up their in age, Montero could be up in the majors in the next two seasons.

The Yankees did become the first team to make a major splash this off season but they really can't afford to lose anymore talent. Cashman made his splash but will now be looking towards negotiating with Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. Andy Pettite is already close to signing after declining a 1-year $10 million deal.

Granderson a Major Improvement in Center

In a previous post I stated that the Yankees would have a quiet off season but might be able to trade for Curtis Granderson. Well, the second part has come true and it was a great pick up for the Yankees.

Granderson gives the Yankees the center fielder that they haven't had since Bernie Williams. Of course he isn't anywhere close to the player that Bernie was but this is a definite upgrade from Melkey Cabrera and Brett Gardner.

The one negative of Granderson's game is his average against lefties, which was under .200 last season. And his overrall average dropped to .249. His dramatic drop in batting average may be due to him trying to hit home runs and spark an offense that was quiet this season.

Granderson won't be a lead off hitter with the Yankees, that is now Jeter's job, and he excelled at it last season. His OBP also dropped and he may not be a suitable number two hitter. Look for Granderson to hit somewhere in the sixth or seventh spot, while the Yankees move Robinson Cano up to number two, assuming the Yankees don't resign Johnny Damon.

Granderson gives the Yankees more than a great baseball player. He has a great personality and may be one of the more well liked players in baseball. We have all seen Granderson in interviews and on television with ESPN's Baseball Tonight and he's a knowledgeable baseball player. A guy like Granderson with his personality will fit perfect in the Yankees clubhouse, which changed dramatically during their World Series championship season.

As for the players the Yankees lost, it is always hard to let young players go but the you never know how minor leaguers are going to turn out. Ian Kennedy struggled in the Major Leagues but was a dominate minor league pitcher. He can still be a good pitcher in the Majors but the Yankees are better off trading Kennedy rather than Hughes or Chamberlain.

Giving up Austin Jackson was necessary for the Yankees to get Granderson. The Yankees see him as the same kind of player as Granderson who is already a proven center fielder. We hear the names of these prospects but many of us rarely see them play. The Yankees may have hyped Jackson up a little just to trade him. Jackson only had four home runs in the minors last year so getting Granderson will be better for the Yankees in the future.

Granderson, 29, will be with the Yankees for a while and he can change games with his speed. Look for him to hit 35 home runs with the short porch in right field, while also improving his batting average because he doesn't have to try to do to much in this Yankees line up.

Jets Done, Hope to Repair Franchise QB

At one point in the game between the Jets and the Patriots you may have thought that Mark Sanchez would throw more interceptions than completed passes. The rookie quarterback struggled once again, and his performance along with the rest of the team put the nail in the coffin for the Jets season.

Sorry Jets fans but I don't know where they can go from here. The only thing to look forward to is Mark Sanchez developing more as a quarterback. At times the game looks too fast for him, but he does have upside and the Jets should concentrate the rest of the season repairing his confidence.

No matter what the Jets do it's hard to see them getting to the playoffs. Although, the Patriots lost last week after failing to convert the much talked about fourth and two, they have improved as the season has progressed. The Patriots will run away with the division, and the wild card won't be within the Jets reach.

So where do you go from here?

First, Sanchez needs to start playing better, and most importantly cut down on his mistakes. Secondly, the defense that talked our ears off during training camp and the beginning of the season needs to give themselves a pep talk. What was supposed to be Rex Ryan's strong suit (coaching the defense) has turned into a debacle. Bart Scott and crew talked a good game early in the season but have failed to live up to the hype.

The Jets very well could win the next three games against Carolina, Buffalo and Tampa Bay. Jets fans don't want to hear it but 8-8 will look good now, especially if Sanchez can improve his play. In order to get eight wins they would most likely have to win the next three games, and then it gets tough. They have the Falcons, Colts and end the season against the much surprising Bengals.

So for the Jets the remainder of the season is all about their California celebrity of a quarterback. If he can lay off the hot dogs in the sideline, and cut down on his mistakes he can prepare himself to have an improved sophomore season next year. If Sanchez struggles Jets fans are going to wonder if trading up in the draft was such a good idea. He has been built as the franchise quarterback, and the most important player at that position since Joe Namath. Sanchez has a lot to improve on and his written statements to the media could use a little work too.

Eli Saves the Day

The Giants barely escaped with a victory at the Meadowlands after the defense gave up a 14 point lead in the fourth quarter. The Giants have one person to thank after the game, and that’s Eli Manning.

Manning was superb. He tore apart the Falcons secondary and made them look dreadful throughout the game. Manning threw three TD passes, and had big play after big play. Mario Manningham came up big for the Giants, getting open often and making big plays after the catch.

Everybody now knows why Eli did get a huge contract coming into the season. He won’t always throw for 384 yards like he did today, but he’s a winner and never gets flustered. This was probably the best game Manning ever played in the regular season and he put the team on the back during the biggest game of their season. If the Giants lost they would've been 5-5 and lost another game to the Cowboys in the division, after they defeated the woeful Redskins 7-6. Without Antonio Pierce the Giants lost a big leader, but Manning put the onus on himself and played extremely well.

So for all those people who still doubt Eli, it’s time to stop. The Falcons secondary may have helped him out a little bit, but he made superb throws, where only his receivers can get them. He was 25/39 with 384 passing yards and 3 TD’s and one interception. Without Manning the Giants wouldn’t have won today because they didn’t run the ball like I thought they would. Brandon Jacobs had only 12 carries for 39 yards, but he was taken out of the game in the second half after suffering a leg injury due to a tackle made his enormous thighs wobble.

Without a dominating running game once again, it was up to Manning and he came up huge. He saved the defense from another collapse. If they had lost the defense would’ve gotten all the blame because they clearly were fatigued in the fourth quarter and couldn’t get any pressure on Matt Ryan.

The Giants defense played well in the first half and it looked like their pass rush would dominate. They were attacking Ryan but they clearly ran out of gas and Ryan took advantage of what became another embarrassing performance in the fourth quarter.

The Giants won so their can’t be too many complaints but the defense may want to thank Eli for saving them, and at the same time, they can tell all the Manning detractors to get off his back.

Key for Giants against Falcons

Keys for the Giants this week against the Falcons:

1) What I said earlier is the truth. The Giants pass rush needs to be tenacious and turn the intensity up to the next level. They have the ability to bring the heat and make Matt Ryan feel uncomfortable. If Turner doesn't play then Ryan should be running around the pocket all day if the Giants defensive line is up for the challenge.

Tuck has been through some nagging injuries and they now have Canty at full strength. With only 20 sacks on the season Tuck and the boys have been truly disappointing, but they are proud players and it really won't surprise me if they came out with fire in their eyes, aiming to bring down Ryan.

2) The offensive line has been just as disappointing as their buddies on the other side. Look for the offensive line to get back to form. Manning has had to run around the pocket way too much this season, and that just cannot happen. The offensive line lead by O'Hara are a proud group of guys who rarely miss a game together. The best cure for them is for the Giants to get back to running the ball. If they do that, the line can be aggressive again and show the league why they can be considered one of the best lines in football.

3) The line backing core has been atrocious. Pierce, who will not play due to injury has shown that he's slowing down and the Giants really need to address this issue during the off season. What they do have now though is a rested and healthy Michael Boley. He has impressed when on the field, and can be a game changer. He has the speed to chase running backs east to west, and is a great cover linebacker. His coverage skills will be important in shutting down veteran TE Tony Gonzalez. If Pierce's season is actually over like some published reports have speculated than Boley can become the leader of that defense.

If the both lines can step up and play they way they're capable of then the Giants should be fine. Eli Manning played well against the Chargers, and Brandon Jacobs yards per carry has improved as the season as gone on. Look for the Giants to get back to stuffing the ball down the opposing teams throat. Also, look for Jacobs to have at least 12 carries going into half time.